Coal pocket



July 16, 1929.

z. w. CRAINE ET AL 1.720.822

COAL POCKET Filed April 30, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 my 2 Z? 23 ZUR W.CRAINE LEO D. CRMNE ATTORNEYS July 16, 1929. z w, cRAlNE ET AL COALPOCKET Filed April 30, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet haw /z/ lrllllllll faalull-l- |l t.421225341135, 4 r:1/512153::175; .UV G I II I I'llINVENTORS ZUR W. CRAIN E LEO D. CRAINE ATTORNEYS July 16, 1929. z. w.CRAINE EI'AL 1.720.822

COAL POCKET Filed April :50, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS ZURW.CRAINE BY LEO 0.0mm:

Patented July 16, 1929.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ZUR W. CRAINE AND LEO D. CRAINE, OF NORWICH, NEW YORK.

COAL POCKET.

Application filed April 30, 1927.

This invention relates to handling equipment for frangible material.More particularly the invention has to do with feeding devices adaptedto deliver coal to coal pockets of material height without breakage ofthe coal.

It is the usual practice in retailing of coal to provide a plurality ofstorage pockets or silos each adapted to contain a different size ofcoal and to convey the coal of a particular size from the railroad caror other conveyance by which it has been transported from the mine tothe topof that pocket designed to contain the particular coal and dumpthe coal therein, permitting it to fall to the bottom of the pocket orat least to the level of the coal already contained therein. In its fallfrom the top to the bottom of the pocket which, when the pocket isnearly empty, is a considerable distance, some of the coal is brokeninto smaller sizes and into dust Which results not only in a Waste ofthe coal but also in a loss of time and labor in screening the coal uponsale.

It has heretofore been proposed to break the fall of the coal to thepocket by affording a circuitous path for the coal from the conveyor tothe level of the coal already in the pocket. It has also been proposedto provide a vertical chute adapted to be full of coal at all times andto deliver coal at the level of the pocket contents when more coalenters the top of the chute.

The present invention has for its object an improvement in the method ofdelivering the coal from the overhead conveyor to the bottom of a coalpocket or silo to insure the delivery of the coal at the bottom withoutbreakage or pulverization. To this end closures along the length of thevertical chute are successively opened, as the level of the coal in thepocket rises, upon the addition of the coal to the top of the chutewhich actuates trip mechanism of a novel and improvedcharacter to effectthe operation of door raising mechanism.

It is also an object of the invention to provide mechanism for openingthe closures successively, which shall be operated in a practical mannereither directly from an independent prime mover or indirectly from theprime mover driving the coal conveyor. Accordingly the lowermost of aplurality of sliding doors forming one side of the chute is connected bya cable or the like with a Serial No. 187,751.

Winch adapted to be clutched toand rotated from an independent primemover or clutched or rotating part of the conveyor mechanism when thelevel of thecoal in the chute falls below a predetermined point. v

These and other objects of the invention and the means for theirattainment will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustratingpreferred embodiments thereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation and partly in section of a seriesof coal pockets or silos and the conveyor mechanism whereby the coal,dumped from a coal car or other conveyance, is raised to the top of thecoal pockets.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1, in somewhatdiagrammatic form, showing the relation of parts.

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation of one of the coal chutes and theoperating mechanism therefor by which the coal is delivered to thebottom of the pocket.

Figure 4 is a view looking from above in Fi ure 3.

igure 5is a transverse vertical sectional view taken in the planeindicated by the line 55'in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing a modification of the drive or actuatingmechanism for the coal delivery devices.

Figure 7 is a view in side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 6.

WVhile the invention is described herein as applied to coal pockets orsilos, since that is its most important application, it will be obviousthat the invention is not limited to coal but is equally applicable tothe delivery offany frangible or frangible material.

Referring to Figure 1, a series of coal pocket or silos of materialheightare indicated at 11 raised above the surface of the ground 12 uponpillars 13 to permit the coal wagon or truck to be driven therebeneathto receive coal from a pocket for retail distribution. The coal pocketsare conveniently disposed beside a railroad track 15 upon which there isshown a coal car 16 positioned to dump its load of coal into a trackhopper 17 delivering the coal to the bottom of a well 18.

From the well 18 the coal isconveyed to thetop of the battery of silosand along the top thereof to the respective coal pockets by anyconvenient conveyor. In the illustrated embodiment an endless conveyor19 is illustrated comprising a pair of spaced chains 20, 20 with buckets22 therebet-ween adapted to pick up the coal in the well 18 and conveyit upwardly by an elevating reach to an apron 21 along which it isconveyed in the conveying reach by the buckets 22 to one of the coalpockets. Openings 23 are formed in the bottom of the apron 21 above therespective coal pockets for the passage of the coal thereto whichopenings are adapted to be closed by doors or closures 24 to permit thecoal to'be conveyed thereacross to a succeeding pocket by the horizontalreach of the conveyor. It is customary to enclose the conveyor and upperpart of the battery of coal pockets with a housing or roof 26 as aprotection for the interior of the pockets from the elements.

So much of the construction described is illustrated as one customarilyfound in storage pockets of this character and a convenient conveyingmechanism or delivery system has also been illustrated and described asone which may be availed of to deliver the coal to an individual pocket.However other forms of coal pockets and other types of conveyors may beavailed of also.

It will be apparent that if the coal were permitted to fall freely intothe bottom of one of the pockets that a considerable portion thereofwould be broken or pulverized thus rendering it unsalable or at least resulting in a considerable quantity of a smaller size of coal in thepocket than is intended to be stored in that pocket. The presentinvention seeks the delivery of the coal to the bottom of the pocket orat least to the top of the coal pile already therein in a manner whichwill not result in breaking up the coal. A substantially vertical chute28 of any desired cross section, but preferably rectangular as shown inFigures 3 through 5 is provided which extends from the opening 24downwardly to the bottom of the pocket. One side of the chute is openand is adapted to be closed by a plurality of doors 29 slidablethroughout the entire length of the chute in grooves 30 formed in thefront edges of the opposed sides and adapted when in their loweredposition to overlap and close the front face. The lowermost door 29 isconnected to a winch 32 by a cable 33 and upon being raised, when thecable 33 is wound up by the winch 32, is adapted to slide parallel toand adjacent to the succeeding door next above it, to engage thesucceeding door to raise that door with it and continue until adjacentthe neXt succeeding door thereabove, which is also engaged and raisedand, this is continued until all of the doors have been raisedsuccessively to the uppermost part of the tracks 30. For this purposethe top stay of the door 20 is provided with lugs 31 which are adaptedto engage a stop 34 to prevent the further downward movement of the doorand these lugs 31 are engaged by the top of the door 29 to raise thedoor 29. Similarly, the top of the door 29 engages the lugs on the door29 to raise it as the doors 29 and 29* are elevated and so on until thetop door is reached.

At the side of the chute near the top is a trip mechanism and the chuteis adapted to be filled at all times with coal to the level of the tripmechanism. This mechanism comprises a trigger plate or movable wallsection 35 carried upon a shaft 36 and adapted to be projected inwardlyslightly within the interior of the chute by a coil spring 37 the upperpart of the plate 35 being bent outwardly as at 35 to close the top toincoming coal. The shaft 36 carries rigidly therewith an arm 38connectedas by a link 39 with one arm 40 of a. bell'crank lever 41 pivoted at 42upon some convenient support above the chute. The other arm 43 of thebell crankjs adapted to actuate a cone clutch element 44 keyed on andreciprocable along a drive shaft 47 rotated say by the prime mover 4Sand carrying loosely thereon the winch 32 about which the cable 33 iswound.

The operation of the delivery device is as follows: The chute 28 isfirst filled with coal to the top with the front face of the chuteclosed by the doors 29, 29, 29 etc., throughout their entire length, thecable 33 being unwound from the winch 32. As the level of the coal risesin the chute, the trigger plate 35 is pressed outwardly against theaction of the spring 37 to cause the rotation of the shaft 36 and withit the arm 38 in countercloclmise direction (as viewed in Figure 3)thereby rotating the bell crank 41 in clockwise direction to cause theengageniaent of the cone clutch 44 keyed on the rotating shaft 47 withthe winch 32 and as the shaft 47 is constantly rotated by the primemover 48 the cable 33 commences to be wound up on the winch therebyraising the door 29 and permitting the coal in the bottom of the chuteto flow outwardly into the bottom of the coal pocket.

It now no more coal enters the chute the level therein falls so that thetrigger plate is permitted to enter under the influence of the spring 37thereby causing the withdrawal of the cone clutch 44 from the winch 32.The door 29 however, will not be lowered because of the level of thecoal flowing from beneath. the bottom edge thereof. If on. the otherhand coal is continually added to the top of the chute by the conveyor20 the trigger plate 35 is maintained inits retracted position and thewinch 32 continues to reel up the cable 33 raising the door 29 and whena. lug carried at the top of door llO 29 -is engaged-by the door 29,that 'door 29 is also raised keeping the top of the opening throughwhich coal flows from the chute into the silo just above the level ofthe coal in the silo to permit the freeflow of the coal outof the chute.This operation is continued until all of the doors are disposed in the,uppermost part of the chute and the silo is completely filled.

As the coal is withdrawn from the silo the level of the coal in thechute falls to a point permitting the return of the trigger plate 35 todeclutching position thereby permitting the cable 33 to be unwound fromthe drum 32 and allowing the doors to fall gradually and follow thelowering level of coal in the silo.

to the coal in the chute.

In Figures 3 through 5 the drum 32 is illustrated as being directlyrotated by an electric motor 48. A modification of the invention isillustrated in Figures 6 and 7 wherein only a single prime mover 148 isavailed of to propel the coal conveyor and actuate the door raisingmechanism for all the silos. The pinion on the shaft of k the motor 148meshes with and rotates a gear 51 on a shaft 52 and the pinion 53 onshaft 52 meshes with and rotates a gear 54 carried on a shaft 55carrying sprockets 56 whereby the endless chains 20 are propelled.

At a convenient point adjacent the drum 32 ing a. feeding chute havingan open side, a

closure for the open side, closure opening means, and pivoted meanssusceptible to the level of material in the chute to initiate theoperation of the closure opening means.

2. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an openside, a sectional closure for the open side, means to successively openthe closure, means to cause the actuation of said closure opening means,and pivoted means susceptible to the level ofamaterial in the chute toinitiate the operation of said last named means.

3. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an openside, a closure for the open side, a drum, means to rotate the drum, aclutch between the drum and said means, a cable connected with theclosure to be wound on the drum and pivoted means susceptible to thelevel of material in the chute to actuate the clutch.

4:. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having anopen side, a closure for the open side, a drum, means to rotate thedrum, a clutch between the drum and saidmeans, a cable connected withthe closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a pivoted plate, meansto project the plate into the chute, and a connection between the plateand clutch operative upon movement of the plate.

5. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an openside, a closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, means to rotatethe shaft, a freely rotatable drum, a clutch between the shaft and drum,a cable connected with the closure and adapted to be Wound on the drum,a plate pivoted in the side of the chute near the upper end thereof, aspring to project the plate into the chute, and operative connectionsbetween the plate and clutch.

6. Material handling equipment comprising a feeding chute having an openside, a sectional closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, means torotate the shaft, a freel rotatable drum, a clutch between the shaft anddrum, a cable connected with the lowermost section of the closure andadapted to be wound on the drum, a plate pivoted in the side of thechute near the upper end thereof, a spring to project the plate into thechute, an arm carried with the plate, and operative connections betweenthe arm and clutch.

7. Material handling equipment comprising, a feeding chute having anopen side, a sectional closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft, aprime mover to rotate the shaft, a freely rotatable drum, a clutchbetween the shaft and drum, a cable connected with the lowermost sectionof the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a plate pivoted inthe side of the chute near the upper end thereof, a spring to projectthe plate into the chute, an arm carried with the plate, and operativeconnections between the arm and clutch.

8. Material handling equipment comprising, a feeding chute having anopen side, a sectional closure for the open side, a rotatable shaft,means to rotate the shaft, a freel rotatable drum, a clutch between thesha t and drum, a cable connected with the lowermost section of theclosure and adapted to be wound on the drum, a shaft journalled in thechute near the upper end thereof, a.

plate carried by the shaft, a spring to project the plate into thechute, an arm carried with the shaft, and operative connections betweenthe arm and clutch. 9. Material handling equipment comprising thecombination with a container for the material. and elevating andconveying means therefor, of a material feeding chute extendingsubstantially from the top to the bottom of the container, and means topermit the escape of the material from the chute into the containeractuated by the conveying means.

10. Material handling equipment comprising the combination with acontainer for the material and elevating and conveying means therefor,of a material feeding chute having an open side and extendingsubstantially from the top to the bottom of the container, a closure forthe open side, a drum actuated by the conveying means, a cable securedto the closure and adapted to be wound on the drum, means to rotate thedrum to permit the escape of the material from the chute into thecontainer dependent upon the level of material in the chute.

11. Material handling equipment comprising, the combination with acontainer for the material and elevating and conveying means therefor,of-a material feeding chute having an open side and extendingsubstantially from thetop to the bottom of the container, a shaftrotated by the conveying means, a drum, a clutch between the shaft anddrum, a cable from the closure to be wound about the drum, a Wallsection movable upon the movement of material in the chute and operativeconnections between the wall section and the clutch.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signs tures.

ZUR WVM. C'RAINE. LEO D. CRAINE.

